There have been 1 million Bangladeshi and more than 200,000 Burmese women trafficked to Karachi, Pakistan (Indrani Sinha, SANLAAP India, “Paper on Globalization & Human Rights”).

Karachi: Around 1,109 women were killed in 2012 and 736 in 2011, said the president of Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid, Zia Awan.

He also condemned the increasing number of threats faced by women in Pakistan on the occasion of the International Day of Social Justice on Thursday.

Awan, who was quoting the figures collected by Madadgaar National Helpline, explained that women are subjected to abuse in Pakistan due to the feudal and patriarchal mind set of the society and lack of education.

We see gender inequality being practiced everywhere, in homes, workplaces, and in the legal system, he lamented.

“The increase in the number of women being murdered reflects the failure of the legal system to preserve women’s rights,” said Awan. “Non-governmental organisations and law enforcement agencies need to do more to help women facing persecution and to raise awareness about gender-based violence.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2013.

India and Pakistan are the main destinations for children under 16 who are trafficked in south Asia (Masako Iijima, “S. Asia urged to unite against child prostitution,” Reuters, 19 June 1998).”It is a flourishing trade with no law to prevent or control it,” says Zia Ahmad Awan

But, people try to help. One web page post ideas for ending trafficking, that people can vote for.

One solution presented is trying to change attitudes in the society towards trafficking in West-Africa:

Characters in the radio soap opera “Cesiri Tono” (‘All the Rewards of Courage and Hard Work’) serve as role models for audience members to initiate behavior change against child trafficking and exploitation. Written in Bambara, a local dialect in West Africa, the drama was developed and produced after intensive research on the cultural values and attitudes of the people and the official policies and laws of the countries. The research was integrated into the drama’s characters and storylines to make it realistic and believable. This innovative approach builds capacity by using local scriptwriters, actors and producers. The drama is being broadcast via community radio stations throughout the countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast.

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I am a psychologist working as a trauma therapist in Norway.
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